Apple, Nokia and Samsung trump BlackBerry in South African user satisfaction stats

The South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) has released its latest findings on mobile handsets in South Africa. According to the survey, handsets in South Africa received an average of 77.2 out of 100 satisfaction rate from polled users.

The independent survey was conducted between the months of March and May this year.

The survey’s results show the scores for Apple (82.7), BlackBerry (70.6), Nokia (78.9), and Samsung (78.8), which are the most popular handset makers currently in South Africa. According to the survey, BlackBerry scored below par even though it improved on its score since last year.

Founder of SAcsi and CEO of Consulta, Professor Adré Schreuder, weighs in on why Apple has a higher score than other brands:

In fact, customer expectations of Apple iPhones are the highest we’ve encountered across various brands and industries at 88 out of 100. Customers are happy with many aspects of iPhone’s product quality and there is no doubt that Apple’s brand appeal is significant.

BlackBerry’s change of fortune

BlackBerry had some interesting results.

Even though both Apple and Samsung held higher satisfaction scores, Blackberry outsold both brands, according to Phonefinder, which may have something to do with its initial position when entering the handset market. “When it was launched, BlackBerry gained an initial advantage due to its low data costs,” says Prof. Schreuder. The brand also has the highest percentage of complaints and yet second highest in terms of complaint handling.

Read more: BlackBerry Z3 is South Africa’s most appealing phone, according to Phonefinder

Even with its higher sales, the NPS scores show that BlackBerry customers are less likely to recommend the brand.

This may be related to negative perceptions of BlackBerry over the past couple of years and the impression that it is a sinking ship.

Apple’s growing public perception

Apple recommendation percentage with 60% of customers likely to recommend the handsets to others. Nokia decreases every year, with 48%, 41%, and now 40.9% since 2013.

With every new handset release, the marketing is intense and this raises expectations. As customers get more familiar with the technology, they also expect more from their handsets.

Except for Samsung, which had 10% fewer complaints than last year, the other three brands had higher. Samsung’s handling of complaints did drop by 17.5 from its previous score. Overall the number of complaints decreased slightly across the board decreased slightly since 2013.

Customer satisfaction with handsets in South Africa rank third out of the international index. The United Kingdom comes in first with 79, followed by the United States with 78. Turkey (76), South Korea (73) and Brazil (60) trail behind South Africa.

Update: source for Blackberry sales